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EPA Strengthens
Underground Storage Tank Requirements to Improve Prevention and Detection
of Leaks WASHINGTON, 06/22/2015
– The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) is strengthening the federal
underground storage tank (UST) requirements to improve prevention and
detection of petroleum releases from USTs which are one of the leading
sources of groundwater contamination. EPA’s action will strengthen
existing requirements and help ensure all USTs in the United States meet
the same release protection standards. “These changes will
better protect people’s health and benefit the environment in
communities across the country by improving prevention and detection of
underground storage tank releases,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant
administrator of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
“Extensive and meaningful collaboration with our underground storage
tank partners and stakeholders was vital to the development of the new
regulations. The revised requirements will also help ensure consistency in
implementing the tanks program among states and on tribal lands.” Secondary containment and
operator training requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will apply
to USTs on tribal lands. In addition, these requirements improve EPA’s
original 1988 UST regulation by closing regulatory gaps, adding new
technologies, and focusing on properly operating and maintaining existing
UST systems. Underground storage tanks
are located at hundreds of thousands of facilities across America. Both
marketers and nonretail facilities own USTs. Marketers include retail
facilities such as gas stations and convenience stores that sell petroleum
products. Nonretail facilities include those that do not sell petroleum
products, but may rely on their own supply of gasoline or diesel for
taxis, buses, limousines, trucks, vans, boats, heavy equipment, or a wide
range of other vehicles. The revised requirements
include: •
adding secondary containment requirements for new and replaced
tanks and piping; •
adding operator training requirements; •
adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST
systems; •
removing past deferrals for emergency generator tanks, airport
hydrant systems, and field-constructed tanks; •
adding new release prevention and detection technologies; •
updating codes of practice; and •
updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these
new changes. States and territories
primarily implement the UST program. Many states already have some of
these new requirements in place. For others, these changes will set
standards that are more protective. In developing the final
UST regulation, EPA reached out extensively to affected and interested UST
stakeholders. EPA carefully considered the environmental benefits of the
UST requirements, while balancing those with the potential future costs of
compliance for UST owners and operators. For example, EPA is not requiring
owners and operators to replace existing equipment, but rather is focusing
on better operation and maintenance of that equipment. The docket for the UST
regulation is EPA-HQ-UST-2011-0301 and can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov
when the final regulation is published. More information about
this regulation is available at EPA’s UST regulation website at www.epa.gov/oust
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